


it's better to keep each other warm

by daeggukie



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Long-Distance Relationship, Love Confessions, M/M, Prompt Fic, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 00:03:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18324650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daeggukie/pseuds/daeggukie
Summary: prompt: saying i love you — rushed out, mumbled into scarf.or where a small act of kindness made gaara realize just how much he felt for naruto, and naruto for gaara.





	it's better to keep each other warm

**Author's Note:**

> this wasn't edited so please forgive any errors !

There was a strange calmness to the silence between the two boys who stood in front one another, red fingertips and flushed knuckles hidden in warm pockets from the nippy winter air. Both of them stared down at their shoes, neither one really sure what to say or do at that moment — but it didn’t feel awkward. They were used to short term goodbyes at the end of every semester, when they went their separate ways to their hometowns. They were used to this. So why did it feel so different this time?

 

Maybe because it  _ was  _ different.

 

Naruto was the sort of person who only fell silent when raging thoughts lingered in mind, scratching at the back of his head as if it was all too much to fit inside. And right now, those thoughts did more than just linger. They rolled and crashed like waves against his skull, begging him to just say  _ something _ , do  _ something.  _ But he didn’t know what it was that he had to say or do. 

 

All he could think about where the matte black boots that stood out like soot in the freshly fallen snow before him. How they belonged to the one person who brought him peace. How if he were to let his gaze follow up from the boots to the long legs up to the puffy winter coat, he knew that he would be faced with sharp green eyes, the only facial feature currently visible behind the maroon scarf this person wore. 

 

Sure enough, Naruto did just that, silently watching the way the other’s eyes remained so focused on Naruto’s own snow stained boots. The other boy must have felt Naruto’s gaze, for he meekly peeked up for a moment before glancing back down again, pink cheeks being buried further within the scarf. Just that tiny gesture was enough to make Naruto crack a smile, the weird nerves in his stomach slowly settling.

 

“Gaara..” He breathed out, words forming clouds in the air between them. “You okay?”

 

“Mm..” Gaara hummed, trying to shove his fists deeper into his pockets, seeking warmth. His voice muffled by the scarf. “Yeah, don’t worry. Kankuro needs to just hurry up so we don’t freeze to death out here.”

 

“You’re still not used to snow yet, huh?”

 

“No, what? I am used to it.”

 

“You’re not wearing gloves again, aren't you?”

 

Gaara shrunk into himself then, fighting the urge to pull out his bare hands to yank the scarf above his whole face. He knew if Naruto saw his hands, he would tear into him for coming out in such cold weather like this. And once Naruto started, he never stopped. But Gaara didn’t mind. He never did. He sorta  _ liked _ when Naruto went off like that  It was sort of... endearing.

 

“You really get on my nerves when you don’t wear gloves, Gaara.” Naruto huffed as he took a step closer to the other, yanking his rather annoyingly orange gloves off his hands. He then pulled Gaara’s bare hands out from his pockets, much to the other’s dismay.

 

“W-what are you doing? Naruto—”

 

“What does it look like? I’m putting my gloves on you. How many times have I told you that you need to wear gloves? This isn’t your first winter. I know it doesn’t snow where you’re from, but you’ve been here long enough to know to wear gloves.”

 

“Mm..” Gaara knew there was no point in arguing back, even though he did enjoy getting Naruto riled up from time to time. Instead, he just let the other boy slip his warm gloves onto his own cold hands, thankful his scarf hid his blush and shy grin. 

 

“Don’t ignore me when I’m talking to you. I’ll kick your ass next time you don’t wear gloves.”

 

“Sure you will.”

 

“I will! Don’t try me!” Naruto led Gaara’s now gloved hands back into his coat pockets, an unashamed grin evident on his face. They both knew it was all talk.

 

It dawned on Gaara then, that Naruto really sacrificed his gloves for him, leaving him now bare handed in the cold. And though a part of him wanted to call Naruto an idiot for doing such a thing, the rest of him couldn’t help but feel a weird swell of emotion in his chest. 

 

Naruto was always willing to give anything to Gaara, to anyone really. His gloves, his food, his money, time, energy, help, compassion. There was never a time Gaara ever saw the boy before him turn someone away.

 

He was selfless.

 

Gaara admired that. He admired a lot of things about Naruto. He  _ felt  _ a lot of things about Naruto.

 

“What are you doing?” Naruto asked when he tried to pull his hands away, only for Gaara to keep his hands trapped inside his coat pockets, fingers intertwined together. Naruto couldn’t help but feel a tightness in his chest, a rumble of those once quieted nerves now coming alive again, a new stir in the thoughts in his head about how he still felt like he had to say  _ something.  _ God, what was he feeling?

 

“I can’t just take your gloves and leave your hands cold.”

 

“I’ll be fi—”

 

“Come here.” Gaara stepped even closer to Naruto, closing the gap almost completely so they were basically toe to toe. “It’s better to keep each other warm.”

 

“Why are you doing this?” Naruto questioned, everything in his body roaring to life from the proximity. It  _ was  _ warmer this way, though.

 

“Because you always do things for me.”

 

“Yeah, well…”

 

“Why do you?”

 

“Because.” Naruto suddenly found himself staring at Gaara’s scarf, avoiding his eyes because he knew, he  _ knew,  _ if he looked into those eyes he would just spill everything that was going on his mind. “I just care about you. A lot.”

 

Silence fell over them once again. 

 

Gaara stared at Naruto, ears ringing with the shyness behind his voice. Just hearing Naruto say he cared about him made everything Gaara has ever felt just  _ click _ .

 

“I love you.” Gaara whispered behind his scarf, immediately hoping the other didn't pick up on his words. But then his gaze was met with wide icy blue eyes, several emotions flitting over Naruto's face which caused Gaara’s heart to pound in his chest. Should he have said that?

 

The beat of silence felt like too much, Gaara starting to pull away so he could bury his humiliation in his scarf.. Except, Naruto wouldn't let him. He held onto Gaara. Kept him close.

 

The two of them just stood there, neither one of them daring to break the intense gaze they held, as if so many things were being spoken by their eyes alone. And maybe they were, because Gaara slowly felt himself being grounded by those eyes. Naruto’s own mind finding its ease, as it always had when it came to looking at Gaara.

 

Naruto realized that everything he had ever wanted to say at that moment boiled down to those three words. Why didn’t he realize it before? And how did Gaara beat him to it?

 

“I love you, too.”

 

Gaara lifted his face from out of the scarf then, letting shock take him for a moment before being consumed by a warning feeling. He leaned forward to press his warm nose against the chill of Naruto’s cheek, no longer able to conceal the smile on his face. 

 

Maybe neither of them wanted to go home now. Maybe the cold wasn’t so bad when they were together.

 

"Remind me to thank Kankuro for being slow."


End file.
